Free Take It by C. E. Starkweather Page B

and he squinted at her. "Why are you showering?"
    She shrugged. "So I'm not disgusting? Besides, I thought I'd go food shopping today. It'd be nice to get out for a bit."
    He narrowed his eyes at her. "Tired of me already, huh?"
    Brandi sighed, rinsing her hair. "You know that's not true. You won't even be here. I don't want to sit around all day staring at the wall. And we need food anyway."
    "Mm hmm," he mumbled, looking her up and down. "Did you gain weight?"
    She gasped. "No! Why, do I look like I did?"
    He studied her stomach. "I don't know. Maybe. You definitely didn't lose any."
    Brandi's face burned with shame. She knew she had lost weight over the past few weeks because her pants were hanging off of her. How could she look fatter when she was getting thinner?
    "It's not that big of a deal," Zack said, rolling his eyes at her reaction. "Don’t take it so personally. Just hurry up so I can get in there when you're done."
    Brandi finished and stepped out, drying off and putting on her bathrobe. "Done!" She yelled to Zack. She brushed her teeth and her hair and Zack still hadn't come in the bathroom. "Zack?" She called, leaving the bathroom. He was naked on the bed, grinning at her. Her heart dropped to the floor.
    "Come here," he said to her. She reluctantly sat on the edge of the bed. "I thought you had to shower," she said softly.
    "After," he said, grabbing her and pulling her back. "First I'm gonna fuck you."
    Brandi looked away. "I'm not really in the mood."
    The smile fell from Zack's face. "Well why the fuck not?"
    She shrugged. Because you just called me fat, she wanted to scream. Because it hurts. Because you say mean things to me. "I'm just not," she said.
    Zack's jaw clenched in anger. "Really, Brandi? We have to go through this again?"
    "I thought you didn't care about sex," Brandi whispered.
    "Stop fucking whispering, Brandi. God, you're so fucking weak. I don't know why I put up with you."
    Brandi's eyes filled with tears and she shot up. "Then don't!" She screamed. "I'll leave."
    She grabbed her suitcase and started throwing clothes in it.
    Zack laughed. "And go where? Your mother doesn't want you back. Your father sure as hell doesn't want you. Kayla hates you. Nobody wants you, Brandi."
    Brandi froze. He was right. She had nowhere else to go. "Fine," she said, sitting down on the bed. "Then you can go. Get out."
    "No. I'm not going anywhere."
    "Get out!" She screamed. "I hate you!"
    Zack grabbed her arms and pulled her up. "Shut the fuck up. You might be paying for this room with your daddy's pity money, but my name is on the room. You're seventeen. You can't stay here without me. I'm not going anywhere, Brandi, and neither are you."
    Brandi put her head down and sobbed. Zack pushed her away and she fell back on the bed.
    "You know, I'm really trying to make this work," Zack snapped. "I don't ask for much. I wanted to make love you, and you threaten to leave me? Are you on your period or something?"
    Brandi didn't answer.
    "I'm taking a shower. Maybe when I get out, you'll be ready to talk to me like an adult."
    Brandi wiped her eyes as Zack got in the shower. He was right. She had no one. Nobody wanted her. Except for Zack. For some reason, he still loved her. And he didn't want her to leave him. And what did he ask of her, really? To clean the room while he went to work and for sex every once in awhile. She laid back on the bed, exhausted from crying.
    When Zack finally got out of the shower, she sat up. "I'm sorry," she said. "I overreacted."
    He shrugged. "I love you, Brandi. But I can't deal with these crazy mood swings of yours."
    "I'm sorry," she repeated. "I love you too. I don't want you to go."
    Zack sat next to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I forgive you," he said softly. Brandi sighed in relief. "Thank you. We can have sex if you want to."
    Zack glanced at her. "Are you saying that because you want to, or because you think you have to?"
    "I want to," she quickly said. "I want you,